40 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ME
With a milestone fast approaching this weekend, here’s a little peek into what four decades have looked like in my shoes — from life-changing events to tiny fun facts.
1. I’m 40 on the 15th of February.
2. I studied furniture and product design in Leeds Met and Kingston after my art foundation in Kingston.
3. I’m not a formally trained chef — but I’ve been cooking since I was 9! I even told my parents that I wanted to be a cooker when I grew up... for years they used to ask me, “gas or electric?”
4. My favourite meals are generally peasant-style food from a local region: locally grown, lovingly cooked, and that comes with a story. The hardest question I ever get is to name my ideal dish — too many incredible cuisines to choose from!
5. I lived in Germany for a few years growing up (when I was 2 and then again at 11) but only speak limited German, although I don’t mind having a go and it started my love affair with sauerkraut and recycling!
“My idea of exercise hell is burpees and long-distance running.”
6. I’m half Filipina, half English.
7. I have three dogs and one cat, Maggie, who still lives with my mum.
8. My sister Mel and I are not twins. Yes, we’ve been asked about being twins in interviews... and also how we met... all in the same day!
9. Because my dad was in the Army and for various other reasons, I moved around a lot growing up. I went to two unis, one foundation course, three primary schools and five secondary schools... and two nurseries!
10. I used to be a long-distance runner, representing my secondary school when I lived in Germany.
11. My idea of exercise hell is burpees and long-distance running.
12. I trained in Muay Thai martial arts in Koh Samui when I was 21, was offered sponsorship to continue training, broke my hand (didn’t realise for five days) and politely declined.
“I have a mole on the inner eyelid of my left eye.”
13. I got a very terrible fear of flying over a not-so-good experience (on my flight back from Thailand with aforementioned broken hand) when I was 21. After ignoring it for 6 months and putting on a stiff upper lip to get on with it, I finally got to grips with it through hypnotherapy and learning breathwork through yoga.
14. I had my second ear piercings when I was 16 and it hurt so much I let them close after a month — I’m still fascinated that the body can repair like that.
15. I have a mole on the inner eyelid of my left eye — which threw many makeup artists during my modelling career. Mid-photoshoot they would be baffled at how they got mascara up there and when I told them “it’s my mole” as they attempted to wipe (nay, gouge) it off, they were in disbelief that they hadn’t seen it when they did my makeup. I don’t see it when I look in the mirror and forget it’s there until that happens again.
16. I was a mermaid! For a U.S. commercial. I was attached to the bottom of the ocean six metres down with fishing wire and wearing a tail designed by the man who did the costume for splash for a 5 days shoot and signal to a safety diver every time I wanted to breathe...
17. I wore braces when I was 15 and again when I was 23.
18. I worked as a scenic artist for a year when I was 19 — refreshing backdrops for West End plays and creating massive 3D props and statues, e.g. giant Pokemons that were taller than me and spell books for the very first Harry Potter movie which featured in the then-Warner Bros. flagship store on Regent Street.
19. I’ve been a Vedic meditator since I turned 30, which was life changing. (I previously thought meditating was for lazy people).
20. I used to dabble in the piano, recorder, guitar and violin. I now play crystal sound bowls and gongs for sound baths around the world.
21. I don’t speak any second languages fluently, but I’ve got a very good ear for them when I do attempt (both my parents could speak Russian, French, German, Tagalog and English). My Vata brain tends to forget very quickly what I learn if I’m not using it.
22. I once had to have a huge albino python around my neck for a modelling shoot.
23. I grew up in a lot of hand-me-downs and the first item of clothing I remember picking out with my mum was a Michelangelo Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle (it wasn’t Ninja back then) t-shirt from C&A, even though Donatello was my fav…
“One teacher called me Blossom because she knew it was a flower but could never remember which.”
24. My fav colour is blue, maybe? Or green? When I was little it was “lello.”
25. I didn’t have a name for 10 days and was nearly called Barbara, Elizabeth or Patricia by my mum — my dad finally came back from a posting and called me Jasmine. So instead of Jazzy it could have been Babs, Lizzie or Patsy!
26. At school there weren’t many Jasmines. I got called Jamie, Jamsin and Jemima a lot. One teacher called me Blossom because she knew it was a flower but could never remember which.
27. My middle name is Alona which means “waves” in Tagalog, because I was born by the sea. Because my mum is Filipina people imagine it was somewhere exotic like Boracay Island, but it was in fact a pebble beach in Weymouth.
28. My pet names: Jaz, Jazzy, Jazzy Jeff, Jazaroo, Jasmundo, Jasmina, Semolina, Sasha, Sashimi, Bunny, Bunny One, Jackie (mum calls me this because she thinks I’m so like my dad, Jack), Dashy and Yaya by friends’ babies.
29. I can’t sleep without an eye mask. If I don’t have/can’t find one, I use knickers or a crop top!
30. I conned a lot of people into using WhatsApp voice messages when they’d never touched them before (and didn’t actually want to). *evil laugh*
31. I’ve been driving the same car that my dad bought when I was 12 — so we’ve had it in the family since 1992. It’s only just given up the ghost and I’ve moved to electric.
32. My favourite song is “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys. I only knew the Olivia Newton-John version growing up (dad had two tapes in his car: Olivia Newton-John and Diana Ross), but when I heard the original version I loved it even more.
33. The first thing I do in the morning? Tongue Tingle. It’s true!
34. I’ve been with my partner Nick for 17 years come March. We got engaged 3 years ago — not sure how long we’ll wait for a wedding!
35. Nick and I met on a flight to Barbados.
36. My favourite book is The Bees by Laline Paul.
37. East by West was written in India, Croatia, Iceland, Ibiza, Switzerland, Italy, New York, Arizona, L.A. and the back of many a London bus.
“Still waiting on my Bradley Cooper moment.”
38. I once sang on stage with Stevie Wonder at Quincy Jones and Michael Caine’s joint 80th birthday party in Las Vegas… even though I can’t sing!
39. I couldn’t have pets when I was young as we moved so much, so I was very into bugs and creepy crawlies and fantasised about a squirrel following me home and living with me. I’ve kept woodlice, ants and snails as pets. I’ve bred goldfish and helped raise a crow called Charlie who fell from his nest until he could fly. When I was 16 I got myself a pet mouse called Brandy. Then I progressed to a pet rat called Emily! She was amazing, I used to take her everywhere — even snuck her into the sixth form common room, where loads of people loved looking after her while I was in lessons and the rest freaked out. Four more rats followed: Kiki, Pamela and her baby and last but not least my Leroy.
40. When I was 11 I had a crush on Christian Slater after watching every single movie he was in. When I was 24 I had a crush on Val Kilmer after watching Tombstone, and when I was 29 I had a crush on Bradley Cooper after watching The Hangover. Since then I have been in the same room as Christian Slater in a casting (but didn’t realise until afterwards) and Val Kilmer bought me a beer at The Groucho. Still waiting on my Bradley Cooper moment.